Swimmer&#39;s life-saving belt



May 20, 1930. J. 5. WOLLK SWIMMERS LIFE SAVING BELT Filed Sept. 9, 1929Patented May 20, 1930 U ITE [S AT S PATENT OFFICE 1 zrosnrns. WOLLK, ornnwxonx, N. Y.

swmmnws LIFE-SAVING BELT Application filed September 9,1929. Serial No.391,199.

air supply strap having'a mouth piece for manual inflation, anda meansfor attaching" the containers to each other and upon; a per- 15 son. Itis proposed to so construct the 0011- I tainers and the air suppl strapso as to be inflatable and maintain the inflation without actual valves.These parts should be so arranged to have an inherent valve action. Thevalve action referred to should be arranged independently for eachof'the containers'so that'in the event of ruptureof one, all ofthem willnotdeflate. The valve action is primarly accomplished by providingv a 25small passage for air and composed offlexible material rubberizedfornormally closing the passage. 8 1 A For further comprehension of theinvention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference willbehad to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to theappended claims in which the varlous novel features of the inventionaremoreparticularly set forth. r

In the accompanying drawingforming a material part of this 1 disclosureI Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a person provided with the safetybelt. I

' Fig. 2 is a developed view of the belt, perse. Fig.3 is an endelevationalview looking in the direction of the arrows 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig.4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional- "view taken on the line H ofFig. 3. I

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged horizontal sectional view taken on theline 55 of'Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view takenon the line 66 of Fig.2.-

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken on the line 7-7 ofFig. 2. I Fig. 8 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view looking inthe direction of the line 8-8 of Fig. 1. h

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view of a portion of two ofthe containers shown in Fig. 2 with the top straps removed.

10 is an enlarged elevational view of a portion of Fig. 2. v V

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view of a portion of Fig. 2 but constructedaccording to modified form. 1 1 s Fig. 12 is'an enlarged sectional viewtaken on the'line'1212of:Fig. 2. y a

The reference numeral 14 indicates generallya person having aswimmerslife saving belt'15. applied. This belt encircles the waistportion and consists of a plurality of air containers 16 with reducedinlets; 17 connected with an airsupply strap 18 having a mouth piece 19for'manual inflation, a means 7 20 for attaching the containers toeachother,

another means 21 for attaching the contalners upon a'person.

"Each of the containers consists of apair of superimposed congruentsheets. of cloth 22 rubberized on their inner sides and hermeti- 'callysealed along all edgesexcept at small tube constituting'the said mouthpiece "19,

and'at portions along its length where the reduced portions 17 of thecontainers connect.

This arrangement provides an "air passage extending the full length ofthe air supply strap and connecting with the interior of the containers16.]

The saidreduced inlet portions 17 of each o f'the containers consistofthe sheetsof the container flat against each other andfare engagedbetween the material 22,0f the air supplystrap. In Fig. 7 the airpassage between the reduced: inlet 17 and the sheets 23 is high:

other and open slightly only upon theiforcing 1y exaggerated. In realitythey toucheach I of air'through these parts. Immediately adjusted. Themeans -21" for attadiingT the thereafter they touch each other again andform a valve action forvretaining the air 7 within the containers. v p

The said means 20 forattaching the containers'to each other consists offorming the adjacent edges of each of the containers with eyejopeningsi24 and 'then'connecting these open- This arrangementperingswith a lace 25. mitsthe distancebetween thecontainersto be containersupon a wearer consist of upper. and

lower straps 26 on each of the containers'and" attached intermediate oftheir ends. This, permits the'ends of thestraps to-be free, and

v adjacentfends ofadjacent straps are formed with eye openings 27, andlace 28 is engaged between these openings for connecting the straps. Y W

a The vouter ends" of the upper and lo wer straps 26 of the first andlast containers16 areattached upon vertical dowels 29. .These dowels areadjustably connected with the vertical edgesfof the :container bylace's30. A

' strap 31- with a buckle 32 is attached upon one of the dowels and thebuckle is engageable zwith anothe'r strap-33 attached upon theother fthe dowels which completes the means f or' 'attaching the belt upon a.person.

,In Fig. 4, thesection ofthe'top strap 26 discloses that thisstrap ismade from fsheets of cloth :with rubber therebetweem Adjaf cent edges'ofeachfof the containers are :reinforced with-strips 34 securedon theirinner sides. This isclea'rly shown in Fig. which represents a section ofadjacent containers in Fig. 2. The airpassage straplShas been de- A'fined with a central air passage indicated in Fig. 12 byreferencenumeral:35. This air passage is highly exaggerted in the draw.-ingbrit-serves to illustrate its arrangement.

Because of the length of the'air passage strap, it has beenfoundnecessary to insert an intermediate passage tube ;36;for holding aportion of the passage open so that'it is not very diflicult to inflatethe device; The passage tube 36 extends for a shortdistance'between twoof thereduced inlets .17 of adjacent containers; lAfter the. device hasbeen inflated,lthei air passage strap:18 is turned up- .wards ontheinner side of the belt asillustratedin. Figsgl-and 8 so as .tobeclamped against the person. In this position. each of thebentreducedinlets 17 insuresjagainst' deiflation of the air'containersifa v i In'thermodified';form of the device illustrated in Fig. 11, an airsupply strap 18. has

. been illustrated connecting with the central preferred construction.this beltis similar, and correspondingparts maybe recognized bycorrespondingfnumen ;als.:" The valve action'inthis'case is obtainedwhenthe beltis securedabout a wearer which portionsof-the containers 16instead of with the edges as illustrated and described in theaccomplishes body of a wearer. v; I

In other respects firmly forces the passage withinthe air supply strapclosed. 1

In operation of the device, it may be inflated manually by blowingthrough the,

mouth piece 19. The air forces the passage momentarily open'and alsoforces the passages through the reduced inlets 17 open so ingtheclosingofthe passage of air and the locking of the air within the containers,

Afterthecontainers have been fully inflated, the air supply strap isbent upwards against an air tight constructio'n'is obtained. "Particular attention is called to the rubber lining of that the air may enter:the containers: Immediately upon the ceasing! of blowing, thesepassagesclose and particularly the redu'ced inlets 17 tend to bend forfurtherinsur the containers and the air passage strap which the airtight valve action dis cussed. 1 V

l/Vhile I haveshownand describedthe preferred embodiment of myinvention, it isto V beunder'stood that'I do-notlimit myself to theprecise constructionherein.disclosed and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope oftheirin- StatesLetters Patent :is :f i e v s life savingvbelt comprising V 1'. Aswimmer vention as defined in theappended claims, 7 7

Having thus described my invention, what I I claim as new, and desiretosecure by United 195 a plurality of air'containers connected with anair supply strap having a mouth-piece'for 7 manual inflation, said air.supply strap con sisting'of a pair ofgsuperimposed sheets of clothmaterialrubberized on theii'inner sides and hermetically sealed along:the edges;

'means for attaching the containers} toeach other, and means for-.holding on the 2. Aswimmers life saving belt comprising a pluralityof.a1r containers connected with bodyzofa wearer;

3. A swimmers life saving belt comprising rialrubberized'on'their innersides and herattaching the containers to each other, and

means for holding them on the body of a wearer.

4. A swimmers lifesaving belt comprising a plurality of aircontainersbeing formed with reduced inlets,"'sai d containers consist-Vf ing of apair of superimposed congruent 31:1

a plurality of air containers being formed- 7 with reduced inletsconnected withan air sup- .plystrap having a mouth piece for manualinflation," said air supply strapJcOnfsistin'g of a pair ofsuperimposed-sheetsof cloth mate-- r I r 'metically sealed alongtheedges,= means for 7 so the inner side of the belt and in this conditionsheets of clothrubberized on their inner sides a and hermetically sealedalong all the edges except for a small portion which constitutes saidreduced inlet and each connected withanair supply strap having amouthpiece ior manual inflation, said air supply strap consisting of apair of superimposed sheets of clothmaterialrubberized on their innersides and hermetically sealed along the edges, means for attachinthe'containersto each a other, and means or holding them on the body ofawearer. g g

5. A swimmers life saving belt comprising a plurality of air containersconnected with an air supply strap having a mouth piece for manualinflation consisting of a tube inserted in the end of the strap, saidair supply strap consisting of a pair of superimposed sheets of clothmaterial, rubberized on their inner sisting' of a pair of superimposedsheets of cloth material rubberized'on their inner sides andhermetically sealed along the edges, and

having a smalltube intermediate of its ends 7 for maintaining a portionof its passage open,- means for attaching the containers to each other,and means for holding them on the body of a wearer. I y

7. A swimmers "life saving belt comprising I a plurality of aircontainersfconnected with an air supply strap having a mouth piece formanual inflation, said air supply strap consisting of a pair ofsuperimposed sheets of s life saving belt comprising an air supplystraphaving a mouthpiece for manual inflation, sa d air supply strapconsisting of a pair of superimposed sheets of cloth material rubberizedon their inner sides and hermetically sealedalong the edges,

said air supply strap connected with the center portions of one of thesides of each container, means for attaching the containers to eachother, and means for holding them on the body of a wearer.

In testimony whereof I, haveafiiXed my signatureor .JOLSEPH S. WOLLK.

cloth material rubberized'on the inner sides and hermetically sealedalong the edges, means for attaching the containers to each other,consisting of laces engaged thru eye openings of adjacent edges ofadjacent containers, and means for holding-them on the bodyofawearer.

8. A swimmerslife saving belt comprising a plurality of air containersconnected with an-airsupply strap having a mouthpiece for manualinflation, said air supply strap consisting of a pair of superimposedsheets of cloth material rubberized on their inner sides tral strapswith and hermetically sealed along the edges,

means for attaching the containers to each other, andmeans for holdingthem on the body of a wearer, consisting of upper and lower strapssecured intermediate of their ends on the containers, laces connectingthe straps, a dowel rod attached between the free ends of the upper andlower straps, and cendowel rods.

9. A swimmerslife saving belt comprising a plurality of air containersconnected with a buckle attached on the

